Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Beer)

Hi All, i came across this beer aged in bourbon barrels which seemed very intriguing. I haven't heard or seen of it here in Australia but if some of you fortunate members in the home country of bourbon have tasted it can you divulge your experiences to us?

Pours a hazy pale orange color with a very thin layer of white head sitting on top. Poor retention and no lacing.

Aroma is really nice. Smells really fruity, with banana and pineapple. The bourbon I think enhances that. Just really pretty.

Taste is pretty damn good. Nice fruity notes, pineapple dominates, but seemingly a touch of banana and almost coconut. Strong hints of bourbon enhance the flavor and burn on the way down. Really just great.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, fairly thick, and slightly syrupy. There's a nice carbonation tingle to it as well. The kicker is the alcohol warmth which is apparent in both taste and mouthfeel and lingers all the way down.

Drinkability is moderate. Really great flavors and feel making for a great drinking experience. However, at 11% you really feel almost every bit of it. A sipper for sure, and an ass kicker no doubt.

Side note: I'm like 2/3 into the bottle and just loving it. I'm over 2 hours into this beer and have a ridiculous buzz going! I was not expecting this, definitely take even more time with this beer!

Just finished my final sip. Just wanted to say that overall, this beeer is just phenomenal.

and

Body color is split down the middle between Scotch and bourbon, with additional slight orange zest-ish tones. 1st pour has a very flat head with a yeasty top - from the pop of the cork would have expected a little more head, as there is definitely some carbonation there.

I can smell the bourbon oak without trying - this gives it a nice warm feeling, although it's somewhat overpowering at first, 'cause rest is slightly obscured. Orange zest, yeast and apples are present in addition to the bourbon burn.

Wow - thick, soothing coating of bourbon, malt, yeast, sugar...maybe some white grapes and a little bit of piney hops. Carbonation makes it tingle. Needs warmth at first glance but very good. Even a slight sour tinge with a little horse blanket in there (?). Even warmth doesn't mellow out the bourbon - this one may need to age a bit more.

The mouth on this is good but not as herty as expected - it's a little clammy and disjointed at first. Again, needs warmth or even more likely age. Mouthfeel splits between a good bourbon and a mild Trippel or even a Belgian Strong Pale Ale feel. Definitely burning alcohol in there.

This isn't hard to drink but the flavor profile is a little too mild for me and heartily obscured by the oak/bourbon. This probably needs some time. Good but I expected more from this.

Re: Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Beer)

I have not had the Musette but Allagash makes lots of interesting barrel aged beers. The Musette did not replace the Curieux as far as I know. They started brewing Curieux in 04 but have not discontinued brewing it and it is still readily available in New England at least.

Initially I did not like the Curieux at all as I felt the bourbon flavors basically kicked the shit out of any trace flavors of a Belgian tripel. It seemed like an odd marriage.Over the years I've softened on it and it's grown on me.

My favorite Allagash beer is called Interlude. Like Curieux and others it comes in a 750 corked and caged bottle and utilizes a variety of wild yeast, brettanomyces, in the fermentation, one of the yeasts used in lambic brewing.
It's also aged in wine barrels. For more info just google Allagash brewing.

It's beautiful stuff and the closest general reference point I could reasonably compare it to is the Belgian trappiste ale, Orval although that doesn't really do either one justice.